Happily Ever Afters Beyond the Black
by Wishing-for-a-Wand
Summary: Andromeda Black knows all about her family history, but what she doesn't know are the stories of those no longer considered family. What became of the faces behind those black holes, and will Andromeda find the courage to find out for herself?


Happily Ever Afters Beyond the Black Holes

The Black Family Tapestry. For centuries it has been one of the family's most prized possessions, so much so that it was fixed to the wall with a Permanent Sticking Charm and, I would be willing to bet, protected by as many as a dozen spells to prevent theft or damage. These spells, however, have not prevented esteemed family members from blasting one another off of our family tree.

Our family tree. My family. Once I was proud of them. Once I was proud to be from the Most Noble and Ancient House of Black. But not anymore.

Once I thought that the tapestry was beautiful with its intricate detail and design. But that was when I was a little girl. My sisters and I were forced to memorize the entire chart, and even today after years away from home at school I can still quote the stories of my departed ancestors.

There, near the top of the tree, is Phineas Nigellus, one of my more prominent relatives. He once was the Headmaster of the school that I attended. Other family members published books or led lives fitting the most upstanding pureblood family of the wizarding world.

Amongst my famous ancestors are a series of charred black holes where there had once been names. Theirs were names I know and have been taught to remember.

In the first row of chart there was Isla Black, who had 'betrayed' her heritage by marrying a Muggle against her family's wishes. This disobedience had earned her removal from the family tree and from the family itself. Her husband and descendants were not listed, and the place she had once occupied was reduced to a gaping hole.

The next generation bore another indiscretion. Phineas Black defended Muggle rights and was consequently burned off the tapestry.

Marius Black, by no fault of his own, was replaced by a singed hole when it was discovered that he was born a Squib, with no magic of his own.

And another failure in the family, Cedrella Black, who married Septimus Weasley, a member of a well-known blood traitor family.

All of these relatives had in some way betrayed and disappointed the rest of the family, and so had been banned from it.

We had always been told to remember these stories of failure, and remember them well, so that we would not make the same mistakes.

But how could we remember them if we didn't know them? What had happened to these 'failures'? What happened to Isla Black and her husband, Bob Hitchens? Or to Phineas Black, defender of the Muggles? How had their stories ended?

I know the endings of those on the chart. While they might have lived in prestige and comfort, most had unhappy marriages and strained relationships with their children. I know this is true of my own parents. They often avoid each other, and even with the daughters they favor they are formal and distant. Certainly not happy.

But what about those no longer on our family tree? What became of them? Did they lead the same depressing lives, or did they find something unattainable to the rest of the family? Could they have been happy?

I often wondered even as a young child what happened to those who were disowned, but I only ever asked once. My mother was furious that I did not feel properly threatened by the thought of banishment, and my father told me that if I wasn't careful I'd end up just like them.

That thought almost makes me laugh. How right my father was.

After the punishment I received for wondering what it would be like to be disowned, I never voiced my thoughts aloud again. But I continued to wonder if there were happily ever afters beyond the black holes left behind.

I still don't know the endings of those stories, but I think they might have been happy ones. While most of my relatives tend to think of removal from the tapestry as a death of sorts, I prefer to think of it as an escape from a worse fate.

It's so strange, standing here in front of the tapestry I once admired. I didn't always think this way, but in the last two years I've come to see that my family is wrong. They're too obsessed with their pureblood mania to see what is really important in this life. I'm just glad that I'm one of the lucky ones who escaped.

But I haven't escaped yet.

I continue to wonder about these 'failures' now that I'm about to join them. Who decides what a failure is? Obviously my family thinks they have that right. But what about these black holes? What about Marius, who was abandoned by his family as a young child? Was he the real failure? Or Cedrella, who married for love and not for power?

I don't consider that a failure. Especially since I am about to do it myself.

All of these black holes represent those brave enough to fight for what they want and willing to lose something along the way. And I am proud to count myself among them.

Slowly, I reach into my pocket as my gaze flees to the corner of the tapestry where my name resides. I see the names of people I once thought I knew. My parents, Cygnus and Druella Black. While we were never close, I still wish things could be different. And my sisters, Bella and Cissy. Once my best friends and confidents, now complete strangers. I will miss what once was just as I have ever since we lost it.

And there in between them is my name, Andromeda Black. And it looks like it doesn't belong there anymore.

My wand is in my hand now, and I'm ready to do what I must. Everyone else had their name blasted off of this tree, but I want to do it myself. I want to free myself.

I raise my wand and murmur the spell that will remove me from this life. There is a spark of light and a faint popping noise, and then Andromeda Black is gone. This time tomorrow I will be Andromeda Tonks, and I know that I am free. Free to write my own happy ending beyond this black hole.


End file.
